Senate Drops Sacking Calls After CAC Boss Apologises

The Senate Committee on Finance has rescinded its resolution asking President Bola Tinubu to remove Hussaini Magaji, the registrar-general of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), following his appearance before the panel and apology for failing to honour previous invitations.

The committee had last week adopted a motion urging the President to sack Magaji over what the lawmakers described as his repeated refusal to attend oversight sessions.

The motion was moved by Senator Orji Kalu, (Abia North), who had criticised the CAC boss for disregarding the Senate.

“This man is not coming to the Senate; he’s not above the law,” Kalu had said. “We summoned them and they came. And this man thinks he’s big over the Senate? We’re not going to take that rubbish again.”

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Sani Musa, (Niger East), had also accused Magaji of persistently ignoring legislative summons.

“The Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission has refused, on so many occasions, to honour the calls, invitations or summons of this most important committee,” Musa said.

However, appearing before the panel on Monday, Magaji tendered an unreserved apology, attributing his absence to a communication gap.

“I sincerely tender my apology,” he said. “Sir, it is not our conduct, and it’s not my conduct. I hold this committee in high esteem, sir. What happened that day, sir, is actually a miscommunication between our staff and the committee.

He explained that he was returning from Lagos when the invitation was received and, although he rushed back to Abuja, he arrived late.

Magaji further disclosed that the commission has now created a dedicated liaison office to manage communication with the National Assembly to prevent a recurrence.

“As a result of that, sir, we created an office now dedicated purposely as a liaison with the National Assembly, so that something like that cannot happen again,” he said. “This is my undertaking, sir — it will never happen again.”

Following his apology, several senators urged the committee to give him another opportunity.

Senator Isah Jibrin, representing Kogi East, moved a motion to rescind the earlier recommendation for his removal. The motion was seconded by Senator Nasir Zangon Daura, representing Katsina North, and was unanimously adopted by the committee.

Despite the reversal, Musa reiterated the authority of the legislature.

“The National Assembly is above everyone else,” he said. “The Constitution empowers this institution to hold the President and other officeholders accountable, including impeachment if necessary. No one should take this committee for granted.”

The committee stated that Magaji’s apology and the establishment of a liaison office had addressed its immediate concerns, while reminding the CAC to ensure transparency in its revenue inflows and operational expenditures.